The Bunny Slope Is Important!!!

On December 29, 2007, I had my first experience with snowboarding. I've never skied or snowboarded, but I thought it was a fine time to learn. So after spending half the day on the bunny slope, I think to myself, "Ok, I'm ready to master something more difficult." And I did...quite successfully I might add.

So yesterday, we went to the same slope in the Austrian Alps with our Scottish friends, Amanda and Robbie. At this point I am pretty confident in my snowboarding skills, so we skip the bunny slope and head up to the top of the mountain. It is then that I realize that my snowboarding skills aren't really skills at all. (Keep in mind that this is my second time EVER doing anything on snow). I had totally forgotten everything. On top of that, I had a different board that I think was a little too large for my size, and subsequently was harder to control. Needless to say, I have more bruises than I've ever had at one time, and at one point during the excursion I landed face...or rather, nose first...and had my first nose bleed in many years!! OUCH!!

Lesson of the Day: Spend time on the bunny slope before venturing out into the narrow and steep slopes. The bunny slope should be looked upon as a great friend that should not be denied or rejected.

By the way, my husband rocks!!! He picks up on everything so quickly. He's probably snowboarded 4 times in his life, and he looks like a pro. It makes me incredibly jealous!! But on the other hand, he looks incredibly hot when he's on the snowboard!!

Thoughts, Opinions, Ramblings

Today I was wasting time by searching for interesting blogs to read. As I was doing this, these are some of the things I thought:

1. People try too hard to be artsy fartsy and/or philosophical. Just be yourself, and stop trying so hard to use big words and witty statements so that people will think you're a genius. Hahaha.

2. Most people who have "Jesus" as one of their interests live in Texas. Just interesting.

3. People need Jesus really bad. There are a lot of really screwed up people (like me!!) out there, that need to know that Christ died for them and loves them so stinkin' much.

4. The Church needs to do a better job at not being so separate from the rest of the world. The Church needs to be more inviting, but the message needs to remain: Jesus, Son of God, died for the sins of the world, full of mercy and grace, etc.

5. There are some really talented musicians out there that sing and play just for the Lord. That makes me so happy!!

6. No matter what our opinions, political stances, or world view, God is God and it is awesome to know Him.

That's all for now. I'll be thinking more on these things and let you know what else I come up with.

Beth

What's Going On?

We've had an interesting week. Yesterday was my last German class, and it was a little sad for me. I've met some really nice people there who are all from different cultures. It was really a great dynamic to have in the class. I have a friend, Amanda, from Scotland, who I think I'll still hang out with from time to time. Then, there's Maria from Italy, who is just the sweetest person. There's Reshad from Iran, who is one of the smartest and hardest working people I know. There's Curt and Nelson, my fellow Americans, of whom I am so thankful. I am hoping that all of us will still get together every other week or so for lunch. Actually, Amanda and her boyfriend are going snowboarding with us this Saturday in the Austrian Alps. (FYI: You've not really snowboarded or skied until you've done it in the Alps).

So my job with Vivat Lingua fell through, unfortunately. I guess the people wanting to take the class didn't want to start a medical terminology class until January of 2009 (and I am sooooo not coming back for that). Thankfully, I met a woman at my school this week who works on an American military base nearby, and she's trying to help me find a job there as a nurse, substitute teacher, or whatever. There's not a military hospital there, so the nursing positions are slim to none. I guess many of you don't know my struggle with trying to find a job on a base, but I've tried for months to get in touch with people. So far, no one has even answered the phone. I think maybe they've just really increased security on the bases, so unless you know someone, it's incredibly difficult to find anything. Finding this person at my school is a God-send. I'll let you know if something comes from it.

Our friends, Kenny and Tiffany Tucker, are coming to visit soon; probably the end of February. We are so excited about that. Kenny has a business trip in Paris, so we are going to go there for a few days, and then, when Kenny is finished with business, they are going to come stay with us for a little while. We were hoping to be in Paris for Valentine's Day, but I am not sure that they'll be here early enough.

On January 3, Danny and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. We didn't really do much. It was on a work day, and we were still a little pooped from having Mark and Mirjam over for the holidays. Next year, however, I will get a new wedding band. =)

We haven't been able to travel as much lately, because the weather is pretty cold and rainy. Also, it gets dark here now around 4:30pm. It's really strange and a little depressing. Danny really enjoys his job, and his co-workers are really nice. I think his job here is a lot less stressful than his job in the US. I've had a bit of a hard time lately. It's difficult for me here sometimes, because it seems like all I hear about America is negative. I would never say anything negative about Italy, for instance, to someone who is Italian. But here, they don't really care who you are. They'll bash America or President Bush, because you're there. I don't think Danny experiences this as much as I. Because I am constantly surrounded by people from all over the world, people tend to want to always talk about foreign affairs. It makes me really sad that the image of America to the rest of the world comes from what people see from Hollywood and stupid MTV. I try to tell people that that's only one tiny part America, but unfortunately, their minds are made up. The media here is so biased (CNN, BBC, etc), so it's no wonder that America's image is so tainted here. I wish that these networks that produce terrible television shows that give America a bad name could see what they are doing and take some responsibility for their actions. I guess it's just so much more entertaining to see smut than good things. So that's my soapbox for the day. Sorry about that.

So that's about all that we've been up to. We covet your prayers, and I can't tell you how much we love to receive letters and pictures from home. Also, we'd love to hear from the people who actually read this blog, so shoot me an email sometime: mrsehl@gmail.com.

We love ya and miss you so much!!! 7.5 more months!!!!!!

Fasching

So they have this celebration here right now called Fasching. It's basically Mardi Gras in Deutschland. It's the celebration of the 40 days prior to Lent. People dress up in really elaborate costumes, and there's a 4 hour (or longer) parade through various cities. It's not like any parade I've ever seen in America. There aren't floats, just people walking. Often, they grab members of the crowd; they may carry them over their shoulders down the parade route. They may throw you in a device that spins you around until you vomit.

We visited one such parade (umzug) in Pfullingen last weekend. I found the costumes to be quite scary, actually, especially for the little children. But it seemed like the little children must have been warned beforehand. Some of the characters give candy or bon bons. Some of them throw confetti all over you. Some smear paint or grease on your face. It's really interesting. The different groups of characters called out something in German, and the audience shouted something else back. I didn't really understand what they were saying, but it seemed like fun. By the end, I had green paint all over my face. There's a really big celebration in the city of Rottenburg next weekend, and I think we'll visit that one too. Until then, I've posted photos on the "Photos from Deutschland" site. Please visit.

Oh, How I Appreciate the Good Ole South

I really hope the south (in the USA) never changes. I don't think there is another place in the entire world where children say, "Yes ma'am" or "No ma'am." There's no other place where people smile at you as they walk by or say "Excuse me." I know that I will never take that for granted ever again in my life, and I will try to show the same courtesy to everyone I meet.

As of today, we have now been here 4 months, and I thought that my homesickness would get better. Unfortunately, I find things everyday that I miss. Don't get me wrong...we've been able to see and do things most people never get to see or do, but it's the people in my life that make things fun and exciting. What is so great about seeing the Eiffel Tower if you don't have friends to share it with? (Luckily, Kenny and Tiffany are coming in a month, and we'll see the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre together). I am reminded of the motto of Hope Fellowship: "Loving God; Loving People." I love all the family and friends in my life, and I can't wait to be together with you all again in 8 months!!

My New Favorite Song

Download it from I-tunes...it's really awesome. Look for Everybody Worship, and you'll find it.

Break Through

Verse 1:
I sing all the songs.
I read all about You
I know right from wrong.
What does it amount to
If my life doesn’t show
How much I love you?

Chorus
I need you to break through
To tear down the walls.
Let everything fall.
Cuz I want to praise You
With nothing between
You and me.
I need you to break through.

Verse 2:
I know there is more
I've left to discover.
So many things, yeah
You want to uncover.
I’ve been scratching the surface.
I want to go deeper.

Bridge:
Break through the pride.
Break through the shame.
I’ve had enough of staying the same.
Break through the fear.
Open the gates.
I’m getting tired of playing it safe.

Long Time, No Post

I am sorry I haven't written in a while. We've been busy with Mark and Mirjam being here in Germany for Christmas. We had so much fun. I have posted tons of pictures. Just click on the link to the right of the page. Christmas was a lot different this year. It was strange being away from home. I have always loved Christmas in my family. I did get to talk to my family on Christmas which was a blessing. I could have talked for hours, I think. I think the highlight of Christmas this year was actually the day after Christmas. It snowed so much...my first almost white Christmas. That day, we went to Danny's uncles' and aunt's house. It was so much fun. Good wine, good German beer (not too much, I can assure you), and fantastic food. Then, on the 29th, we went to Austria to go skiing/snowboarding in the Alps. It was the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen in my life. I have never seen such beautiful mountains covered in snow...just magnificent. I really don't understand how someone could not believe in God after seeing this. Anyway, I'll write more about it later. I have got to start cleaning the house up and doing the tons of laundry in the floor right now.

Clemson People Are AWESOME!! / Clemson Leute sind ausgeziechnet!!

Ok, so we've been here now for 3 months, and we've met some really great people. Well, we'd been here only for about 2 weeks when we decided to go hiking on a mountain here in Reutlingen. Danny and I both wore Clemson hats, and I think Danny was also wearing a Clemson t-shirt. When we finally hiked to the top, we were looking out on the beautiful landscape when someone shouted, "Go Tigers!!" Of course, we were like "no way," but sure enough, someone in Germany recognized the Clemson logo. We started talking, and we've become pretty good friends over the last few months.

Then, last week, we were at the Weihnactsmarkt in Esslingen. Of course, Danny wore his brightly colored orange Clemson hat. Again, someone shouted, "GO TIGERS!!" This time we were really taken aback. Ok, so it's a fluke when you meet one person who has heard of Clemson, but now we've met two families!!! Crazy!! The second group of people that we met actually live in Anderson. One is a professor at AU, and had graduated from Clemson in 1968. It really is a small world.

German:

Ok, wir sind heir jetzt seit 3 Monate, und wir haben wirklich nette leute kennen gelernt. Als wir 2 Wochen hier waren, sind wir auf der Achalm gewandert. Danny und ich haben Clemson Hüte getragen, und Danny hat auch ein Clemson T-shirt getragen. Als wir auf der Spitze waren, und uns die schöne Landschaft angeschaut haben, hat jemand "Go Tigers!!" geruft. Natürlich haben wir uns gedacht, dass darf doch nicht war sein. Wir haben uns unterhaltet, und seit dem haben wir uns öfters mal wieder gesehen.

Letzte Woche haben wir den Weihnachtsmarkt in Esslingling besucht. Danny hat seine helle orange Clemson Mütze getragen. Noch mal ruft jemand, "Go Tigers!!" Dieses mal waren wir wirklich erstaunt. Diese Leute wohne in Anderson, und ein Mann arbeitet bei Anderson Universität als Professor. Er hat von Clemson in 1968 graduiert. Es ist eine kleine Welt!!

My Dad

The other day, I was in a really dark place. I turned on my I tunes and just started singing, praying, and listening. I heard nothing; no words of encouragement; no peace. My husband arrived home a few minutes later, and I vented my frustration to him, but still no peace. Later that night, after we'd gone to bed, this song just filled my heart, suddenly, yet quietly.

Your laughter it echoes like a joyous thunder
Your whisper it warms me like a summer breeze
Your anger is fiercer than the sun in its splendour
You’re close and yet full of mystery
Ever since the day that I saw Your face
Try as I may, I cannot look away, I cannot look away…

Captivated by You
I am captivated by You
May my life be one unbroken gaze
Fixed upon the beauty of Your face

Beholding is becoming, so as You fill my gaze
I become more like You and my heart is changed
Beholding is becoming, so as You fill my view
Transform me into the likeness of You

This is what I ask, for all my days
That I may, never look away, never look away…
No other could ever be as beautiful
No other could ever steal my heart away
I just can’t look away…

Lyrics by Vicky Beeching

The crazy thing is that it wasn't me singing this to the Father. It was the Father singing this to me!! It was the thing I didn't know I needed; to hear from my one and only Father how He feels about me. I felt so happy, yet so unworthy at the same time. Now when I am here in the apartment alone, I can sing this song, and just feel my Dad's warm arms around me. I can sing it knowing that I feel the same exact way about Him.

Jesus, let every aspect of my life worship you; to be worthy of being called Your daughter; to make you, and only you, proud of me.

This verse has really been on my mind, and I also want to share it with you:

Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:21-24

It's a reminder that no matter where we are, we must worship Him in spirit and in truth; with our entire lives; all that we have. I want to be the type of worshiper my Dad seeks; proclaiming Him in every aspect of my life. I want to be someone who makes Him smile and laugh.

*German translation to follow. Ich bin in eile jetzt. Ich müss eine Deutsche Bibel kaufen, so ich kann genau übersetzen. Tschüß.

My Goal

My goal for all upcoming posts is to write them in German and English, so everyone can easily understand them. We'll see how that goes. lol!!

Ich habe ein Ziel für die Zukunft. Ich möchte gern alle "Blogs" auf Englisch und Deutsch schreiben. Wenn jemand einen Fehler findet, bitte sagen Sie. Ich muss mehr Deutsch lernen, und ich denke das ist eine gute Übung. Was denken Sie?

New Job!!

So most likely, my job will start in March. I know that's a long time away, but we need to prepare for it. I have looked through the text book, and it's pretty intensive. That will be an awesome challenge for me!!

Job Possibility

Whoo hooo! I may have a job!! The manager of the language institute that I go to came to me today and asked if I'd be interested in teaching medical terminology to students learning English. This is a wonderful opportunity to use the knowledge that I have to teach others, which is what I've always wanted to do. So please pray that everything will work out according to His plan. If all goes well, I'll start in the beginning of the year.

Kinda Funny

I've learned to rely on Danny a lot here in Germany. He speaks fluent German with no difficulty. Yesterday, we went to the town of Esslingen with an American friend (who speaks NO German). There were so many people!! We all kept getting a little separated. I saw Ryan, our American friend, looking at some items, and I walked over to him. Danny was wearing his brightly colored orange Clemson stocking cap, so I knew I'd find him pretty easily. As Ryan is looking at things on this vendors table, he says to me, "Ask him how much this is." Without thinking, I ask the man how much the trinket cost, and then I translate the price into English. I had to translate the entire transaction. It was so cool!! We found Danny a minute later, and just as quickly we lost him again. So we went through the same thing a few more times. It was really interesting to see someone relying on me to translate, because I've been relying on Danny so much.

I am so happy that I can now understand and speak so much. Danny and I speak to each other for several hours per day in German. It's great to see that it's all paying off!!

Unconditional

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres".

I've been reminded a lot lately of the the importance of love and the command we have to love one another without condition...the way that Christ loves us (in that while we were still sinners, He died for us). While Jesus was in Jerusalem, the Pharisees and Sadducees were trying to prove that Christ was not who He claimed to be. They asked Him in Matthew 22:36, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" To this Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matt 22:37-40). Nowhere in that command does Jesus say to love your neighbor only if they are nice to you and do everything you want them to do. That wouldn't be much of a commandment or sacrifice. Rather, He says to love your neighbor, who may be your greatest enemy, as yourself. God knows that we are a self-centered people. I think that why He wants us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. With that same attitude we are to love our enemies, with a love that is sacrificial, true and pure.

Recently as situation has arisen that has reminded me of this. We were put on this earth to love wholeheartedly, and not to judge. I think that the only way to get someone to see the err of their ways is to love them unconditionally no matter what their sin is. Is their sin greater than my sin? NO!! We are all sinners saved only by grace. Someone's sin of adultery is no greater than my sin of cursing the salesperson who takes too long to check me out. So why do we act like the person who has committed such a sin openly is unclean? We are ALL unclean...only made clean through the blood of Christ. Just because our sin is more private doesn't make it less of a sin. This goes back to my previous blog about wearing a mask so people will think we have it all together. We can act like there is no sin in our lives and condemn others of their open sin. Or we can choose to show the kindness and love of the Father to His children and realize that we all struggle with sin. Rather than cutting each other down, maybe we can help each other out and hold each other accountable in love.

The choice is ours.

Women

I've been reading a book series by Francine Rivers called, "The Mark of the Lion," and that is what has inspired this blog.

I think women feel that in everything they do, they must be perfect and look perfect while doing it. I've never understood this, but I am guilty of falling into the trap. I find myself admiring women who can cook, keep the house clean, and keep up with their families all while looking like a million bucks. In their own hearts, however, they are dying. They feel like they are drowning, and they are tired of keeping the façade going. We paint our faces and hide our hearts. We want people to think we have it all together, when in actuality, we want to rip our hair out.

As I was reading the books by Francine Rivers, I found my heart was turning to what the ideal woman is in God's eyes. She is one who prays fervently, constantly. She is a servant in all that she does. She is utterly devoted to her family and friends, and equally, she loves her enemies as Christ loves them. She is one who sees beauty in all things even though she may be scared and disfigured physically. She doesn't hide behind a ton of makeup, but rather, she reveals her true self so that she can grow in Christ and in love. She strives for a different kind of perfection...perfection in Christ, and not in the eyes of men or women.

My personal experience with women has been that they can be very vicious to one another. We feel like we must be in constant competition with one another, and this is not right. We feel like we must be dressed to kill, in the best name brands and with the perfect makeup. But all of this is vanity. What is the heart of the woman? Why do we try so hard to hide it?

The point I'm trying to make, quite unsuccessfully, I think is that it's time for women to take off the "makeup," and let the real person come out. I cannot stand phonies, even though I can be guilty of it as well. Why can't we just be the people God created us to be? He didn't make us robots, so that we would all be the same. He made us individual and different, with different strengths and weaknesses. Rather than dwell on our weaknesses, I pray that we cherish our strengths. What we are weak in, another may be strong, so why don't we work together more?

Just a though. What are your opinions?

Lovis Marie

 

Lovis Marie

We have a new addition to the family. Danny's cousin, Michael, and his wife, Manuela had their first child about a week ago. We had the opportunity to see her on Saturday, and she is the most beautiful little baby girl I've ever seen. It's amazing how little babies are. I'll post a picture in just a second.

Happy Turkey Day

Today is Thanksgiving, so I thought I would write about some things that we're thankful for, especially since my last blog was kind of a downer. (Sorry about that)!

1. I am thankful that I have such a wonderful God, and that He forgives me when I don't deserve it. Faith by grace, not works!!

2. I am thankful that I have a husband who constantly encourages me and builds me up rather than tearing me down.

3. I am thankful that my relationship with my mom and step dad is so good now. I love them so much!!

4. I am thankful that I have two awesome pastors, Mark and Jeff, who teach Danny and I so much, and encourage us in our faith.

5. I am thankful for friends like Tiffany, who send reminders of home when I feel homesick. (Just when I needed it, thanks)!!

6. I am thankful for my brothers and their significant others.

7. I am thankful for Greyson, b/c he blows me kisses and high fives me on the computer.

8. I am thankful that a computer program like Skype was created, so we can still feel close to family and friends even though we are thousands of miles away.

9. I am thankful that we have this opportunity in Germany, and that I can get to know Danny's family here.

There are so many other things we are thankful for, but these are the ones that are the dearest at this time in our lives. We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!

I've Got the Blues

This has been a really tough week for me so far. Maybe it's because Thanksgiving is this week or something, but I just feel really conflicted. I am so happy to be here in Germany, but I feel like I am missing out on so many things in America. I miss my family and my friends so much. I miss singing at church on Sundays. I miss working. I miss being able to have conversations with people and it not hurt my brain. I miss having get-togethers on Friday and Saturday nights. I miss eating Mexican food after church on Sundays. We've been here for 2 months, and I feel like it's already been 6. I am so tired of listening in on conversations, and by the time I think of what to contribute to the conversation, we're no longer talking about it. I've always been a perfectionist, and it's so hard for me to feel dumb or stupid. But it seems like that's how I feel the majority of the time.

I am trying to keep looking on the bright side, but this week, my emotions have just over taken me. Sorry for such a depressing blog. I'll write soon when I am in a better mood.

Various Ramblings

I haven't written in a while, so I thought I'd just write to tell you what we've been doing, in general.

Last week, I started my intensive Deutsch course. This course is 5 days per week for 3 hours per day. On top of that, I have about 2 hours of homework per night. It has really been amazing!! I can now understand almost everything. Especially when we go up to Hessen to see Danny's family, I can understand. They don't speak with a strong dialect like people do here in Reutlingen.

Last weekend, we went to visit Danny's grandmother. She lives about 2.5 hours north from here. We had so much fun even though the weather was not so nice. One evening we got together with Danny's cousins Andi and Martin and their significant others. We had cake and coffee at Omi's house and then we just sat and talked for a while. Later, we went into Frankfurt. I think this is a fairly large city in Germany, almost as big as Atlanta. It seems like there's a lot to do there. We shopped there, and then we went to Darmstadt for dinner. We ate at a Mexican restaurant, which is really funny if you think about it. Mexico is nowhere near here, and trust me, it's not like the Mexican food in America. It's really good, but it is not nearly as spicy or as authentic, I think. Just different.

This week, we've been enjoying all the snow. Every evening and night, it has snowed. This is very interesting considering we live in South Carolina in the US. I have absolutely no clue how to drive in the snow. But with traction control and winter tires, I've done ok so far. The car and I are still in one piece. Always a good thing.

Today I got a call from Michael, one of Danny's cousins. His wife just had her baby last night. We are looking forward to going back to Omi's this weekend, so we can visit with them and see the baby. It's such and exciting time, because three of Danny's cousins' wives are pregnant (well, now one has had their baby). All of them are due this month or next. We are happy to be here this year to see it all unfold.

Anyway, that's about all that's been going on. We continue to meet more people and pray for opportunities to make friends and just get out there, I guess. Thanks for all of you who read this and keep us in your prayers. We really appreciate it. We love you all so much!!

Beth